A stranded seal pup that somehow managed to cross a major Bay Area highway was rescued after being found in the bushes outside a business in Hayward, police said Wednesday.
Authorities received a call shortly before 6 a.m. to report a baby seal “flopping around” in the bushes near a business on Sandoval Way, according to a Facebook post from the Hayward Police Department.
The seal pup had somehow managed to waddle across a roughly four-mile stretch of Interstate 880 before it ended up on the east side of Hayward, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Initially, police believed the caller had mistook the seal for an opossum or “weird” cat, the post stated. However, their suspicions turned to surprise when they discovered the animal was indeed a seal.
The Marine Mammal Center responded to the location and rescued the “wayward adventurer.” The baby seal was slightly dehydrated and malnourished, but would be OK and was expected to be released back to the wild soon, police said.
The pup — named Pipester — had been rescued previously in early November, according to the center.